·Risk to operator,Danger from saw blade- damage to limbs, splinters/sawdust in eyes,
Danger from felled branches, splitting timber, loss of balance as branch is
cut.Overhead power lines.

·Risk to other workers,Danger from saw blade- damage to limbs,
splinters/sawdust in eyes, Danger from felled branches, splitting timber.Overhead power lines.

·Risk to public,Danger from felled branches.Overhead power lines .

CODE OF SAFEPRACTICE

Equipment:

·Must be maintained and serviced
regularly, according to manufacturer's instructions.

Protective Clothing:

·Operator should wear protective hard
hat, gloves and ear mufflers.

Site Assessment:

·Prior to the commencement of work, the
site should be inspected and assessed for specific hazards, as set out in
general safety procedures.

Safety Zone for operations:

·The area in which the cutting is to
take place should be clearly demarcated, and no one else should be permitted
within this area during cutting.

·The tool user is responsible for
keeping all other people outside the zone.He should designate a co-worker to supeervise and maintain this
exclusion zone until the operation is completed.

·The limits of this exclusion zone
shall vary according to the size, height and nature of the timber being cut,
the arc of the tool's activity and the gradients of the surrounding land.The area will be at the discretion of the
designee, who shall take the above considerations into account.

Visible and Audible Signals:

·A signal system should be
established to provide communication between the tool operator, the designated
supervisor and the remainder of the work party.The supervisor should familiarise all members of the work party
with the signals prior to each day's work.

·Warning signs should be erected to
inform the public of the dangers and to keep them out of the operating zone

Safe System of Work:

·The cutting tool shall only be used
in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.

·The operator must be trained and
familiar with its use.

·When felling overhead timber, unless
it has been otherwise discussed with the work party, the operator should work
upstream of the rest of the work party.This will make the supervisor's task of maintaining an exclusion zone
easier.

·Each time overhead timber is to be
felled, the feller must await the permission of the supervisor to continue.

·The supervisor must clearly
demarcate the boundary of the exclusion zone.He must check that there is no person other than the feller within this
zone, and that everyone is aware that cutting is about to commence.He may then signal the operator to proceed.

·When cutting has finished, the
operator can signal to the supervisor that he feels that it is safe for assistants
to enter the danger zone.Where other
potential hazards still exist (eg unstable banks, uneven river bed, cut timber
which has not yet fallen), the supervisor must warn those entering the zone of
these hazards.

·Protective guards should be placed on
the tools when not in use.

·When cutting up felled timber on the
ground, as a general rule, no one should approach or assist the person cutting
unless specifically asked to to so by the tool user, rather he should maintain
a safe distance.

·Any injury sustained whilst working
should be reported to the safety supervisor and logged on the record sheet.